Analysis of sea-surface temperature in the Indian Ocean shows that warming correlates with east African rainfall; the effect on atmospheric convection and precipitation over the Indian Ocean is greater than that associated with El Niño (ENSO).

Downloadable files of digital bathymetry of U.S. waters, the Bering and Chukchi Seas, Bering Strait, and Gulf of Anadyr in polygon ARC/INFO. Coverage generated from both digital and paper bathymetry sources developed to support marine research.

A geologic and oceanographic study of the waters and Continental Shelf of Gulf of the Farallones adjacent to the San Francisco Bay region. The results of the study provide a scientific basis to evaluate and monitor human impact on the marine environment.

Interactive map server to view and create maps using available coastal and marine geology data sets of offshore and coastal U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. Links to available data and metadata that can be downloaded.

Direct measurement of an important indicator of interannual variability is extended, using geological proxy measures, farther back in time to well before modern measurements were made. This tells us about the history of climate variability.

GLORIA is a digital sidescan sonar capable of producing digital image maps of the sea floor from reflected sound waves. Site includes description of digital processing, mosaicking, and links to samples of image maps.

Proxy methods allow us to estimate ancient ocean temperatures but only if the method is calibrated using modern samples for which we measure the temperature. This is a proxy method using a sediment trap to collect planktonic foraminifera.

Investigation of the upper- and middle continental slope of the Mississippi Canyon, including the Gulf of Mexico, for the distribution of gas-hydrate deposits with links to a DEM image map, bathymetry data, and research technology.

Will salt marshes survive if sea level rises quickly? The answer depends on whether the areas surrounding them can allow salt marsh fauna and flora to migrate there. Local topography, both natural and manmade, is the main factor limiting this migration.

Regional studies mapping the seafloor sedimentary character and assessing marine sand and gravel resources around the United States, to inform beach nourishment and coastal restoration, benthic habitat and sediment transport studies

Webpage based on USGS Open File Report 98-139 links to information on the San Francisco Bay estuary to study dredge disposal effects, fish habitats, sediment transport, rock pinnacles and navigation, and consequences of a large oil spill.

Report on multibeam sonar imaging to produce bathymetric mapping of the reef tract known as The Pinnacles, northern Gulf of Mexico with links to images (ASCII or ArcInfo formats), data, metadata, ArcExplorer 2.0 project, and cruise report.

Georeferenced high-resolution mapping of bathymetry of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico of areas suspected to be critical benthic habitats for fisheries. Includes links to images, data, metadata, and TIFF image files.

The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards is a multi-year undertaking to identify and quantify the vulnerability of U.S. shorelines to coastal change hazards such as the effects of severe storms, sea-level rise, and shoreline erosion and retreat.

Report on the potential of coastal change due to future sea level rise using the coastal vulnerability index (C.V.I.) with two regional examples in San Francisco and Monterey Bay and Tillamook Head, Oregon, to Ocean Shores, WA.

Brief report on map showing the relative vulnerability of the Atlantic coast to changes due to future rise in sea level. Includes links to similar maps in Open-file report 2000-178 on the Pacific Coast and 2000-179 on the Gulf of Mexico Coast.

Homepage for the Nearshore Benthic Habitats Project for mapping geophysical characterization of the coastal sea floor to identify benthic fish and shellfish habitat with links to research cruises and preliminary results.

Report on satellite imagery collected by the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on NOAA polar-orbiting weather satellites. Links are provided to imagery of north-central Gulf of Mexico and of the Lake Pontchartrain.

Overview of studies of marine sediment on the continental shelf south of Los Angeles contaminated with DDT and PCBs from past sewage effluent discharges with links to research on Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Shelf and Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Article from American Scientist on study of the San Francisco Bay estuary as a component of the global climate system showing that natural fluctuations might be mistaken for anthropogenic trends affecting waterflow and salinity.

Fact sheet on the sea-floor mapping facility at Woods Hole describing state-of-the-art technology used to produce accurate geologic maps of the sea floor and reporting on its data-acquisition, data-processing, and archiving capabilities.

Grain-size analysis of marine sediments of the U.S. eastern coast with sampling and lab methods, surficial sediment database in three formats (Excel, Dbase IV, ASCII), and use of geographic mapping tools for visualizing sediment data layers.

Describes and provides links to USGS research in the location of the estuary and coast of Long Island, New York, to map the sea floor and to study sediment transport, contaminants, and sand resources and coastal vulnerability.